Speaking with MCV during E3 a couple of weeks back, Microsoft’s John Shappert has revealed that, of all paid downloads on their Xbox Live service, 1/3 of them are for TV show or movie downloads on the console’s Video Marketplace. So. What does that actually mean? We don’t know! Though we guess it shows the service is a lot more popular than most people figured. That or it shows how big a proportion of the 360’s install base is American, what with the woeful state of everyone else’s video marketplaces.

Hideki Kamiya is best known for two things: Creating Devil May Cry and being enthralled by American supermarkets. While he never did any of the DMC sequels, he has gone on to head up Osaka-based Platinum Games and create the upcoming “stylish action game” Bayonetta. In the latest EGM, Kamiya does have loads to say about his DMC past:

I wanted to do the sequel. I used to want to do a sequel, but now it’s like some other guy’s chick. It’s not my chick anymore. And that chick got fooled and played all around from all over, so I don’t want her anymore. I’m only concentrating on my current chick.

Kamiya’s DMC was turned into a dirty harlot? So sad. And his current girl is of course the previously mentioned Bayonetta. Apparently in the game, the Bayonetta lady appears to be wearing leather, but its actually her hair. The more hair attacks she does, the more skin players see. Kamiya’s comments about this and his total Ninja Gaiden apathy and desire to outdo God of War after the jump!

I know, I know, 100% cinematic trailers are normally something to be complained about from the tallest branches of the whiney tree. But the first Dawn of War packed an intro movie that’s up there with the best of all time, so it’s only fair to showcase this clip, from the sequel, which may or may not be the game’s intro but is fun to watch regardless.

Oprah Winfrey is a tastemaker. No, make that, Oprah Winfrey is the tastemaker. She can make or break things. If she starts reading a book on her television program, it becomes a bestseller. Oprah carries a profound influence. Gossip site spotted talk show host, her bodyguards and two children she was accompanying in a Hawaiian Walmart, buying the Nintendo Wii. And we couldn’t help but think that this Nintendo Wii console just might become popular and could very well be a hit. The media mogul also purchased two Wii games, but it wasn’t mentioned what two games those were. Wonder why Oprah is buying the Wii and not getting freebies by the truckload from Nintendo? Because she’s filthy rich, that’s why.

Fresh off declaring war against the humble R4 cart, Nintendo have issued yet another statement to the press outlining the progress they’re making against software piracy, which has to be the 3rd or 4th they’ve sent out this year. It reads:
Nintendo takes a global approach to piracy and has pursued the illegal game copying devices in 11 countries this past year.

Nintendo has worked with enforcement officials in Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Korea, Netherlands, Spain, UK, and the US, seizing close to 30,000 infringing game copying products, as well as taking actions against those distributors and manufacturers.

Good for them! Problem is, this kind of approach is about as effective as those “police announce record drug bust” stories on TV. 30,000 “products”? That’s not even a drop in the ocean. Issuing bold PR statements like that isn’t showing us you’re making progress. It’s only drawing attention to the fact you’re not. Nintendo: 30,000 illegal pirate devices seized so far in ’08 [GI.biz]

Bungie seems excited about the Ensemble-developed Halo Wars. The game is planted firmly in the RTS genre, so, for example, it’s not necessary to have players moved in and out of cover. Gushes Bungie AI maven Damian Isla:

We’ve done a lot of talking with Ensemble guys, and we’re all really excited about Halo Wars, because from everything we’ve seen so far it’s a very cool, faithful adaptation… Everything we’ve seen has been very, very encouraging — we’re very excited about it. And of course, [Halo Wars is]also getting right the basics, the general roles — even fictionally. What role do grunts play in the Covenant fighting forces, what role do the Elites play, what role do Warthogs play, what role do Spartans play… All this kind of thing. I think they really nailed that. It’s encouraging.

A lot of Americans may be in the dark when it comes to Elite, since it’s more fanatical followers are based mostly out of the UK, but all you really need to know is that it’s one of the greatest games ever made. Actually, I think its sequel – Frontier – is even better, but whatever, that’s open to debate. The point is, the latest Elite game, Elite 4, which has been years in the making, is…still being made, according to series creator David Braben. Which is good to know, since it’s been over nine months since we heard anything on the project. Latest is that it’ll be out after his current game, The Outsider, which is slated for release sometime next year. Putting Elite 4’s release at somewhere around 2010. At the earliest. Which, when you write it down like that, is an awfully long time away.

Ever notice something about Xbox LIVE? The people that are on it, they’re mostly Americans. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, is it? Of course not. So there’s no need to get all bent out of shape when Europe Xbox exec Chris Lewis “the lion’s share” of Xbox Live users are Americans. What’s percentage of Xbox LIVE users are European? Says Lewis:

We don’t normally break out the European element of our Live membership. I mean, I know what it is, but I don’t want to get rapped on the knuckles by being too explicit with you. I will say to you as a percentage of that overall total, it’s just less than a quarter. And I’ll tell you also that a large part of that is in the UK, partly because of the language aspect, the fact is you need, on a community service like Live, enough people of a similar language orientation to get a community so that it starts to really blow out… Up until fairly recently we just haven’t had enough on the service for non-English-speaking folks.

Cut Xbox LIVE and it bleeds, red, white, and blue. It really does. Honest.

Portal’s on its way to Xbox Live Arcade in the form of Portal: Still Alive. Good news for 360 owners, but what if you own a PS3? And don’t own a PC? And are allergic to the core Half-Life 2 storyline and all things orange? Well, you’re shit outta luck, with Valve – responding to recent rumours – telling CVG that, no, the game won’t be making its way to the PSN, and yes, the package is still a 360 exclusive. You could ask yourself why, but then that’d be about the time we remind you of Gabe Newell’s insatiable, white-hot hatred for the PS3, then say “yeah, that’s why”.